“It made him look very suspicious.”
“Did you read the entire story?”
“I believe so.”
“Did you read where it says that Mr. Danny Padgitt was involved in an auto accident, that he was injured, and that he was also charged with drunk driving?”
“I believe I read that, yes.”
“Would you like for me to show it to you?”
“No, I remember it.”
“Good, then why were you so quick to assume the blood came from the victim and not from Mr. Padgitt himself?”
Pickard shifted again and looked frustrated. “I simply said that the photos and the stories, when taken together, make him look guilty.”
“You ever serve on a jury, Mr. Pickard?”
“No sir.”
“Do you understand what’s meant by the presumption of innocence?”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand that the State of Mississippi must prove Mr. Padgitt guilty beyond a reasonable doubt?”
“Yes.”
“Do you believe everyone accused of a crime is entitled to a fair trial?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. Let’s say you got a summons for jury service in this case. You’ve read the newspaper reports, listened to all the gossip, all the rumors, all that mess, and you arrive in this very courtroom for the trial. You’ve already testified that you believe Mr. Padgitt to be guilty. Let’s say you’re selected for the jury. Let’s say that Mr. Wilbanks, a very skilled and experienced lawyer, attacks the State’s case and raises serious doubts about our proof. Let’s say there’s doubt in your mind, Mr. Pickard. Could you at that point vote not guilty?”
He nodded as he followed along, then said, “Yes, under those circumstances.”
“So, regardless of how you now feel about guilt or innocence, you would be willing to listen to the evidence and weigh it fairly before you decide the case?”
The answer was so obvious that Mr. Pickard had no choice but to say “Yes.”
“Of course,” Gaddis agreed. “And what about your wife? You mentioned her. She’s a schoolteacher, right? She would be as open-minded as you, wouldn’t she?”
“I think so. Yes.”
“And what about those Rotarians over there in Karaway. Are they as fair as you?”
“I suppose so.”
“And your employees, Mr. Pickard. Surely you hire honest, fair-minded people. They’d be able to ignore what they’ve read and heard and try this boy justly, wouldn’t they?”
“I suppose.”
“No further questions, Your Honor.”
Mr. Pickard hustled off the witness stand and hurried from the courtroom. Lucien Wilbanks stood and said, rather loudly, “Your Honor, the defense calls Mr. Willie Traynor.”
A brick to the nose could not have hit Mr. Willie Traynor with more force. I gasped for air and heard Baggy say, too loudly, “Oh shit.”
Harry Rex was sitting in the jury box with some other lawyers, taking in the festivities. As I wobbled to my feet, I looked at him desperately for help. He was rising too.
“Your Honor,” he said. “I represent Mr. Traynor, and this young man has not been notified that he would be a witness.” Go Harry Rex! Do something!
The Judge shrugged and said, “So? He’s here. What’s the difference?” There was not a trace of concern in his voice, and I knew I was nailed.
“Preparation for one thing. A witness has a right to be prepped.”
“I believe he’s the newspaper editor, is he not?”
“He is.”
Lucien Wilbanks was walking toward the jury box as if he might take a swing at Harry Rex. He said, “Your Honor, he’s not a litigant, and he will not be a witness at trial. He wrote the stories. Let’s hear from him.”
“It’s an ambush, Judge,” Harry Rex said.
“Sit down, Mr. Vonner,” His Honor said, and I took a seat in the witness chair. I fired a look at Harry Rex as if to say, “Nice work, lawyer.”
A bailiff stood in front of me and said, “Are you armed?”
“What?” I was beyond nervous and nothing made sense.
“A gun. Do you have a gun?”
“Yes.”
“Can I have it, please?”
“Uh, it’s in the car.” Most of the spectators thought this was funny. Evidently, in Mississippi, one cannot properly testify if one is armed. Another silly rule. Moments later the rule made perfect sense. If I’d had a gun, I would’ve begun firing in the direction of Lucien Wilbanks.
The bailiff then swore me to tell the truth, and I watched as Wilbanks began pacing. The crowd behind him looked even larger. He began pleasantly enough with some preliminary inquiries about me and my purchase of the paper. I managed the correct answers, though I was extremely suspicious of every question. He was going somewhere; I had no idea where.
The crowd seemed to enjoy this. My sudden takeover of the Times was still the source of interest and speculation, and, suddenly, there I was, in plain view of everyone, chatting about it under oath and on the record.
After a few minutes of niceties, Mr. Gaddis, who I assumed was on my side since Lucien certainly was not, stood and said, “Your Honor, this is all very informative. Where, exactly, is it going?”
“Good question. Mr. Wilbanks?”
“Hang on, Judge.”
Lucien then produced copies of the Times and passed them to me, Gaddis, and Loopus. He looked at me and said, “Just for the record, Mr. Traynor, how many subscribers does the Times have now?”
“About forty-two hundred,” I answered with a little pride. When the bankruptcy hit, Spot had squandered all but twelve hundred or so.
“And how many copies are sold at the newsstand?”
“Roughly a thousand.”
Roughly twelve months earlier I had been living on the third floor of a fraternity house in Syracuse, New York, attending class occasionally, working hard to be a good soldier in the sexual revolution, drinking prodigious amounts of alcohol, smoking pot, sleeping until noon anytime I felt like it, and for exercise I’d hustle over to the next antiwar rally and scream at the police. I thought I had problems. How I’d gone from there to a witness chair in the Ford County courtroom was suddenly very unclear to me.
However, at that crucial moment in my new career, I had several hundred of my fellow citizens, and subscribers, staring at me. It was not the time to appear vulnerable.
“What percentage of your newspapers are sold in Ford County, Mr. Traynor?” he asked, as casually as if we were talking business over coffee.
“Virtually all. I don’t have the exact numbers.”
“Well, do you have any newsstands outside of Ford County?”
“No.”
Mr. Gaddis attempted another lame rescue. He stood and said, “Your Honor, please, where is this going?”
Wilbanks suddenly raised his voice and lifted a finger toward the ceiling. “I will argue, Your Honor, that potential jurors in this county have been poisoned by the sensational coverage thrust upon us by The Ford County Times. Mercifully, and justifiably, this newspaper has not been seen or read in other parts of the state. A change of venue is not only fair, but mandatory.”
The word “poisoned” changed the tone of the proceedings dramatically. It stung me and frightened me, and once again I asked myself if I had done something wrong. I looked at Baggy for consolation, but he was ducking behind the lady in front of him.
“I’ll decide what’s fair and mandatory, Mr. Wilbanks. Proceed,” Judge Loopus said sharply.
Mr. Wilbanks held up the paper and pointed to the front page. “I refer to the photograph of my client,” he said. “Who took this photograph?”